OUTFRONT now, Jessie Wilczewski.
She witnessed the shooting
at the Chesapeake Wal-Mart.
In fact, she's working.
There was just her fifth day on the job.
Jessie,
thank you for being with us tonight.
I know this is tough.
You were in that break room
when the gunman came in.
You saw a lot.
Can you walk us through, Jessie,
what you saw
and what happened in those moments?
So
before every shift, we
we have a meeting in the break room
right at 10:00.
And mostly everybody was in there,
and the meaning just started.
And
all of a sudden,
I look straight instead of looking
off where I was,
where the other guy was talking.
And the other team lead
is in the doorway,
and
it's got his hands like that.
And at first it didn't even look real.
It didn't register as real.
It
the only thing that made it real
was the
vibrations hitting your chest
and the ringing from the gun going off.
And it just kept going and going, going.
And I got around to the table
and and he left the room
and went down the hallway
and
I was looking
at my other coworkers around me
more
and leaned over in the chair.
I didn't want to be around.
I didn't want him to hear me.
And make you mad, make him come back
because I don't even know where he went.
And and I,
I, I only stayed
just.
I couldn't,
I couldn't
I wouldn't want to be left alone
even if they weren't there
or if they were there.
I don't, I don't even know.
I tried really hard not to look.
And the sound
of the droplets
to
replace the replacement plates.
Please, please
have a How much blood was coming?
All the different chairs.
It was making a rhythm.
And it was
one of the most disturbing things I wore.
I think one never let go of that
I mean, it's.
It's understandable. It's.
So you're you're under the table
then for safety.
You talk about feeling that the bullets
as the shots
rang out, feeling that in your chest,
hearing the blood from your coworkers,
watching them in those moments
as I understand
it, this shooter
did look at you at one point.
And basically you're hearing
very and
I was hiding underneath the table
and he told me to come out
and I
had my bag and I put my bag out first
as like,
please, I don't have anything.
You see my hands type thing.
He slid around from underneath
the table and I'm shaking and
I probably look like a Chihuahua.
At that point.
And he just had the gun up to my forehead
and and
it's just really hard
Did he say anything to you
in that moment, Jesse?
He told me to go home
and I took the gun away from my friend.
He was aiming at the ceiling
and he said, Jesse, go home.
He got real slow,
and I tried not to
look at everybody on the ground
or even look.
And I had touched the door,
which was covered
and I walk out the double doors
to where
you can see the aisles of Wal-Mart
and I made it right through the egg.
I'll start.
And I
just remember gripping
my bag and thinking,
if you shoot me in the back.
Well, he's
going to have to try really hard
because I'm I'm running and I booked it.
I booked it.
And I didn't stop until I got to my car.
And then I had a meltdown in my car.
I think it would be hard not to.
In that moment,
this is all still so raw, understandably.
And I know that in addition
to what you saw
and what you went through, you also knew
at least two of the victims
and one of the reasons
that you wanted to talk with me
tonight was because
you want their families
to know something.
You have a message for them.
What do you want their families to know?
Jesse
for the
the two girls families
that were sitting in front of me
and I'm not going to name any names but
I want to let you know,
I could have ran out that door
with everybody else
that ran out that door and I stayed
I stayed so
they wouldn't be alone.
And the last moments,
because I knew there was no way
it's as bad as everything was,
there was no way
and
I stayed
straight
just so they wouldn't be alone.
And they weren't.
You were there
there's been a lot of talk
about this person who was your manager.
I know this was only your fifth day there
and you didn't interact with him a lot
but was there anything that stood out
to you, anything in those interactions
where you could
have imagined a scenario like this
No,
no.
I interacted with him
one time before this
and it was
me bringing up my kid
How much this overnight thing is like
really kind of toying with me.
Some hours, like 1:00
you know, and like leaving
when I get home
and
yes, we are all my kid was in that room
15 months and he set a cute age and
we walked their separate ways.
Never, never, ever in my life.
Would I ever wish this upon anybody.
And it's horrible
because it doesn't it doesn't stop.
It doesn't stop replaying
where you leave the singer.
It doesn't stop hurting as much.
Doesn't stop
It sucks because you really want to just
want that little bit of
that you have
for all this.
You want it to never have happened.
It's hard
Jesse, I'm so sorry
that this is why we're speaking
and that this is what
you're going through.
And I hope
that you are surrounded
with those who can help you
in these moments
who are also going to help.
How to use anything
Don't blame them.
You don't know why you let me go.
And yes, bothering me really, really bad
I don't know why
he did, but even
because I could've sworn
I was a goner
Well, Jesse,
I'm glad
that you were able to make it out safely.
I hope that your staying
with your coworkers
brings those families
some comfort in knowing
that they were not alone,
that you wanted to make sure
that they were not alone
in those moments.
And, Jesse, thank you.
I know this is
there's no way
this can be easy for you to talk about.
I was so appreciate you taking the time
and I wish you strength on
this road ahead